Conventional electronic device manufacturing systems may include multiple process chambers and one or more load lock chambers. Such chambers may be included in cluster tools where a plurality of process chambers may be distributed about a transfer chamber, for example. These systems and tools may employ transfer robots that may be housed within the transfer chamber to transport substrates (e.g., patterned or unpatterned semiconductor wafers, glass panels, polymer substrates, reticules, masks, glass plates or the like) between the various process chambers and one or more load lock chambers.
For example, the transfer robot may transport a substrate from process chamber to process chamber, from load lock chamber to process chamber, or vice versa. When the transfer robot handles the substrate, particles may be created due to the substrate sliding on components of the transfer robot, for example. The substrate sliding may be induced by horizontal substrate acceleration during normal path movements carried out during substrate transport. The transport may be on an end effector of the transfer robot and substrate sliding on the end effector may generate particles. Particle generation is generally undesirable as it may contaminate the manufacturing environment and possibly negatively affect the manufactured substrate.
Accordingly, there is a need for a substrate handling robot that enables rapid movement of substrates with reduced particle generation.